This Site Sheet is part of the British Rock Art Collection on which the Old Bewick collection can be seen here
Updated: 2007-05-25

 

Old Bewick

This paper is meant to be a fist acquaintance with this famous rock art site.


Eagle-view of the carvings on the main rock, taken in 2003 with the "one-pole"

 


Name of the site                         : Old Bewick

Alternative name(s)                     :

Map reference                            : NU 0781 2158

Land                                         : England

Council                                      : Northumberland

Parish                                       : Wooler

Morris' number(s)                        :

Other (database) number(s)          : H00581a

First reported by                         :                                    In                :


Issued on                                  :                                     Last updated :



View to Old Bewick Hill from the NW

 

How many people have walked along the decorated stones on Old Bewick Hill?

It must have been thousands over the 5000 years that it lies there alongside an impressive Iron Age hill-fort.


Illustrations through the Years


  One of the first illustrations of the main boulder by George Tate, 1865


 

Old Map

 

Image produced from the www.old-maps.co.uk service with permission of Landmark Information Group Ltd. and Ordnance Survey


 

Current Map


Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Image reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey

 

Aerial Photo


Image used with kind permission of Getmapping UK

Old Bewick on Flash Map

 


Reference(s) for Old Bewick


Tate, George (1865)

"Sculptured Rocks of North Northumberland and the Eastern Borders", 1865

Thomas, N. (1960)           

"Guide to Prehistoric England", 1960, p. 175;

Beckensall, S. (1974)

"The Prehistoric Carved Rocks of Northumberland", 1974, p. 52-4; photos and Tate's illustrations;

Hadingham, E. (1975)

"Cirles and Standing Stones", 1975, p. 136-7; 1860 engraving, p. 226;

Michell, J. (1982)

"Megalithomania", 1982, p. 146; drawing made in 1867 by Mossman;

                    Beckensall, S. (1983)       

"Northumberland's Prehistoric Rock Carvings", 1983, p. 172-4; photos and drawings (a.o. by Tate);

Beckensall, S. (1986)

"Rock Carvings of Northern Britain", 1986, p.17, 40-1; drawing;

Beckensall, S. (1991)       

"Prehistoric Motifs of Northumberland, Vol 1", 1991, p. 50-1; map, 60-1; drawing;

Beckensall, S. (1992)

"Prehistoric Motifs of Northumberland, Vol 2", 1992, p. 73;

Dyer, J. (1993)

"Discovering Prehistoric England", 1993,  p.173;

Beckensall, S. (1995)       

"Recent Discovery and Recording of Prehistoric Rock Motifs in Northumberland" in Northern Archaeology, 1995, p. 16-7; drawing and add. sites, p. 32; photo main rock ,p. 27; photo of missing c&r-mark;

Bradley, R. (1997)

"Rock Art and the Prehistory of Atlantic Europe", 1997, p. 43-6; drawing by Beckensall, 71-2, 74-5, 79, 133, 135, 211;

Div. (1999)

"Archaeology in Northumberland 1997-8", 1999, p. 7; photo;

Beckensall, S. (1999)       

"British Prehistoric Rock Art, 1999, p. 8; drawing by J.C. Bruce;

Beckensall, S. (2001)       

"Prehistoric Rock Art in Northumberland", 2001, p. 14, 77-81, 143-5, 167-8, colour plate 17;

Beckensall, S. (2003)       

"Prehistoric Northumberland", 2003, p. 77, 80, 96, 119, 121, (105, 106), 123, 147, 165-6, 171-2;

Waddington, C. and Passmore, D. (2004)       

"Ancient Northumberland", 2004, p. 100, 103, 117;       

 

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